


truth is not a crow

by amsves



Series: Master and Man (and Other Stories) [13]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood and Injury, Mirrors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 04:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16256672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Robin and Terra's mission is a massive success.[Bad Things Happen Bingo]





	truth is not a crow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Himitsutobi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Himitsutobi/gifts).



> Himitsutobi requested "rage against the reflection" for Bingo. Ask and ye shall receive!

It had been a  _ massive _ success.

Robin and Terra left the Titans in a tied-together heap on the roof of the skyscraper where their battle had concluded. Their mission tonight had been their first as partners, with security procedures too advanced and an item too heavily guarded to be stolen by one person. Out of necessity, Robin had performed most of the technical tasks while Terra had done the actual stealing. They had performed under pressure like clockwork, and the battle had been won almost too quickly for Robin to believe.

It had been so easy taking down the Titans with a partner after facing them alone for so long. Slade’s strategy-- _ target Raven and Starfire first, keep moving too fast for Cyborg to land a hit, fend off any attacks from Beast Boy that might actually pierce skin _ \--had been flawless. Robin wasn’t sure how long his former teammates were going to sit tied up on the roof, but that wasn’t his concern.

He and Terra were flying back to Slade’s hideout--literally, in Terra’s case, as she hovered on a chunk of rock while Robin swung from building to building using his grappling hook--with adrenaline still pumping through their veins and excitement showing through in ear-to-ear smiles. They reached the hideout in record time, eager to share their success.

Robin let Terra do the talking, since she seemed about ready to talk over him anyway. “Did you see that? Were you watching?” She could barely stand still, bouncing on her toes as she talked. “Master Slade, it was so easy! We took ‘em out in like two seconds flat! Did you see how much control I had? And Robin did some fancy flips and at one point Beast Boy was a bull and Robin jumped on his back and--”

Slade held up a hand, and Terra fell silent. “I did see, apprentices. And I am impressed.”

Terra gasped in delight and Robin felt himself blush lightly. It was nice to know that even Slade could see how far they’d come.

“Both of you, get cleaned up for bed,” Slade continued. “As a reward for a job well done, we’ll start training an hour later tomorrow. Get some rest.”

Terra grabbed Robin’s wrist and practically dragged him to their room. It was still his, technically, but ever since that one night the weather had stayed cold enough to justify their sharing a bed, and neither he nor Terra were interested in breaking the pattern. Robin grabbed his sleepwear and slipped into the bathroom while Terra changed in the bedroom. With an exhale, he peeled off his gloves. The uniform--sweaty from exertion but remarkably un-bloody--followed, and he dropped them on the floor in a heap. The mask landed on top, and Robin pulled on his t-shirt and sweatpants before washing his face in the sink.

He glanced up into the mirror and saw himself grinning. Tonight had gone  _ splendidly _ , and he was still riding the high of a job well done. He’d had his apprehensions before it started, but they were completely unfounded. Any guards they’d encountered had been knocked out before they’d even gotten a whiff of the criminal riffraff infiltrating their establishment. There had been no alarm when the biometric sensor--designed to tell exactly which parts of a person’s brain were active at any given time--had been removed from its container and slipped into its pouch on Robin’s belt. Even the showdown on the rooftop had ended in a resounding victory.

_ Since when is performing a heist and beating your friends a victory?  _ a voice in the back of his mind asked, and Robin came crashing down.

Since when was stealing something to get excited about? He’d been acting like he’d put the Joker behind bars or something  _ heroic _ , when in reality he’d only contributed to Slade’s still-mysterious master plans. Robin had been elated about  _ breaking the law _ . He’d ventured well past his usual state of guilt and landed squarely in joy.

He squeezed the sides of the sink basin and took a deep breath. “It was just the adrenaline,” he mumbled. “That’s the only reason. I don’t enjoy stealing, and I don’t enjoy _ his _ following orders.” 

He took another deep breath and glanced back up at his reflection. His exposed eyes, unblocked by his mask, stared back at him.

Something furious welled up inside of him and before Robin could understand what was going on the mirror was shattered. He looked down at his fist and saw blood. 

Glass crunched under his feet as he opened the cupboard door to grab the dustpan. As quickly as he could, he swept the shards into the pan, ignoring the slow trickle of blood from his hand. He just wanted to get this mess cleaned up before anyone else saw. Terra would worry about him and ask too many questions, and Slade would be upset that Robin did something so dumb. It was best just to make it look like this never happened.

He wasn’t sure how he’d explain the missing mirror yet, but that could wait.

Robin was mostly done wiping up the broken glass when Slade appeared in the doorway. “I heard a shattering sound,” he said casually. “It appears I have found the source.”

“I’m cleaning it up, don’t worry,” Robin grunted from his place on the floor. “I’ll have it done in just a minute, Master.”

Slade crouched down and took Robin’s hand from the dustpan handle. “You have glass in your cuts,” he observed, and Robin winced. 

“I’ll take care of it,” he mumbled. “Right after I finish this.”

“No, Robin.” Slade stood up slowly, pulling Robin up with him. “We’ll take care of this now.” He produced some tweezers and antibiotic cream from the bathroom cupboard. “The last thing I need is for you to get an infection in your hand or, worse, aggravate the wound to where it requires stitches.”

Robin stood silently as Slade picked nearly invisible glass slivers from his hand with practiced ease. As he worked, Slade talked. “I hope you understand that you would normally be punished for this,” he began. “You have damaged my property, and that includes not only the mirror but also your hand. But I think the internal dilemma you are suffering from is punishment enough, don’t you?” 

Robin nodded, and Slade grabbed some bandages. “Let’s wrap this up and send you to bed,” he concluded, and Robin nodded again. “I’ll finish the cleanup.” Slade wrapped Robin’s bloodied hand in bandages without another word. 

When he was finished, Slade smoothed the bandages with his thumb to ensure they adhered to themselves, and for a moment Robin was aware of just how much  _ larger  _ Slade was. His own hands weren’t exactly small, but in comparison to his Master’s they seemed tiny, dainty even. Some of Slade’s size was definitely extra bulk added by his armor, but there was no denying that the other man was simply bigger than Robin.

That should’ve been terrifying. It wasn’t. Robin didn’t know how he felt about that.

Slade ran his fingers through Robin’s hair in a comforting gesture and sent his apprentice to bed. 

Robin slipped under the blanket on his side of the mattress and pushed his spine up against Terra’s. “What took you so long?” she whispered sleepily, and Robin made a noncommittal noise.

“It’s just been a long day,” he said instead of responding, and Terra gave a quiet noise of agreement. “Goodnight, Terra.”

“G’night, Robin.”

Terra fell asleep quickly, but Robin stayed awake for hours.

**Author's Note:**

> "Truth is not a crow, you cannot catch it by the tail!" --The Crow that Went in Search of Truth by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
> 
> Find me and request bingo squares on [Tumblr](http://www.skeletoncloset.tumblr.com)


End file.
